Guess who's back (back, back) Back again (gain, gain), Yes I'm back (back, back) With another chapter (another chapter) Yes I'm back, Yes I'm back, Yes I back, duderdu.

Okay enough of that, here the chapter.


Chapter 12: I'm Still Bored.

Morning dawned, drenching Du Weldenvarden in sunlight. The scent of flowers was heavy in the air but Eragon couldn't care less about any of that, he was lying in a small patch of sunlight beaming down in a straight shaft like a ray from the gods themselves. It wasn't made by gods however, it was made by Eragon.

He had been stargazing, now he was just enjoying the warmth of the sunlight. But he had learnt something interesting while trying to shift branches out of the way. Tree's had life, or consciousness, or rather life, similar yet very different to cat and dragons and humans, weirdly senseless, thoughtless and emotionless and all of the other things Eragon believed made up life and living beings and therefore to classify it was 'life' was rather strange but not less true.

He lay, spread eagle, in the centre of the circular shaft, a circle just big enough for him to lie in, an inch or two more of light above/below his head/feet.

A smile stretched across his faced as a familiar and welcome scent reached his nose.

"Why?"

He opened a single daunting crimson eye and glanced up at Arya who stood a few paces away from him "Why what?" he closed his eye, returning his focus to the warmth.

"Why lie in the sun?" she asked, closing the final few steps but not entering the ray of light, instead looking down at him as he lay, eyes closed with the warm light on his pale skin. He could feel her gaze examining his peaceful visage, and didn't disturb it.

"I like the sun."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded angrily.

Eragon grinned and opened an eye to take in her scowl "Whatever I want it too."

She glared down at him "In the future do not wander off. The others were worried before Saphira told them where you were."

"Oh? And were you?"

She turned away "The dwarves are leaving soon, you may wish to bid them farewell" and she walked away, disappearing amongst the trees.

By the time Eragon returned the dwarves were packed and ready to leave, Orik's donkey was tied behind Ekksvar's.

Eragon stopped before Thorv, watching as the dwarves made a few last minute checks to ensure no one fell out of their saddle because it was loose, again "Thank you, your protection was unnecessary and pointless, but you have my thanks all the same. Give my gratitude to Undin."

Thorv pressed his fist to his chest "I will carry your words" he hesitated and looked back at the huts before speaking quickly and quietly "Elves are a queer race, full of light and dark. In the morning, they drink with you. In the evening, they stab you. Keep you back to a wall, Shadeslayer. Capricious, they are."

Eragon grasped Thorv's shoulder "I'll remember that."

"They plan to travel up Eldor Lake in boats" Thorv told him "What will you do with you horse? We could return him to Tarnag with us, and from there to Tronjheim."

Eragon scowled and cursed darkly, never mind useful Snowfore was important to him and Eragon didn't want to leave him "Thank you" he accepted the offer "Will you make sure Snowfire is well cared for? I could nor bear it if any were to happen to him."

"On my honour" pledged Thorv, speaking with seriousness upon seeing Eragon's own seriousness "You will return to find him fat and sleek."

Eragon thank him again before stomping over to Snowfire, for a moment he gazed at the white horse, remembering, but he moved on, he had no time to be lost in tender memories and instead stroked his snout "Here we part, my old friend. The dwarves will care you so be obedient for them… I will return for you" he placed his forehead against Snowfire's head, staring the horse directly in the eye, the horse didn't flinch away from the maddening crimson instead looked right back.

"You care for him much?" Arya asked cautiously, approaching him and Snowfire, she and the other elves had been listening all the while and thought they tried to look busy and uninterested they clearly were.

"He was Brom's, Brom promised to look after him, with him gone it's my job now. 'sides, he been a faithful, unfailing companion. He carried you from Gildead, me across the desert, and travelled with me for longer than that. I suppose you could say he's my closest friend… at least, he is since Murtagh died."

Eragon ran his hand up along Snowfire's snout, ignoring Arya's confused gaze, his sombreness was not something he appreciated any more than she did.

He gave the stallion, the saddle and the grooming supplies to Thorv, who once again promised to take good care of him. He then said farewell to each of the warriors in turn, stumbling over Shrrgnien's name, again, which earned a laugh from them and watched with Saphira and Orik as they rode back along the trail.

'You're strangely… sombre' Saphira commented never moving her eyes from the dwarves.

'Just thinking.'

You? Thinking? Surely not?' he gave her a sharp kick to the leg 'About what?'

Eragon paused 'About the roads behind us' he could see the clearing he and Brom had slept in on the first night of the rest of his life, the road they had taken to Therinsfold, Yazuaz filled with corpses, Daret and the farmhand solider's, even Teirm and Jeod, they all came easily to his mind.

'An interesting train of thought… and a strange one, especially for you my dearest rider, blood, sex, food and vengeance are your usual haunts, what has led to these strange thoughts?'

'We'll be walking more roads now, another road, another journey, another adventure… But will it be worth it, in the end?'

'Eragon…'

'After all, the other roads I have walked have led ot pina and grief, success always outweighed by failures, happiness choked by misery, friends lost to the void… Should we ever bother walking down another road, knowing the outcome that awaits?'

Saphira touched her snout to his skull, a strangely comforting gesture 'A wise man would say that it is those memories that prove you have lived. Your pain and your sorrow prove your existence. Or that if a man has lived only a happy life there would be nothing for him to seek, those who do seek find pain and misery, but one day they will find that their the scales have tipped the other way, you happiness will be in balance with misery and you will be content. But I am not a wise man, I am a dragon, and I say let us fly to our destination than risk pain and suffering on the road.'

He smiled at her words 'Saphira, thank you, truly' he turned around heading towards the huts 'But this time we take a river not a road.'

From the huts the three followed the elves to a thicket on the edge of the Edda river. Docked on either side of a boulder were two white canoes with vines carved along their sides.

Eragon boarded the nearest boat, stowing his pack beneath his feet. It was a strange boat, nothing like the vessels he had seen in Teirm. It seemed to be made of a panel of birch bark bent into the shape of a boat as there were no seams showing one panel from another. It was almost like a tree had grown into this shape.

"How the fuck…" he muttered under his breath, tapping the inside with his knucles "Do you make all boats like this?"

"All except the largest" answered Nari joining him and taking a position at the prow of the boat "For thos,e we sing the finest cedar and oak into shape."

Before Eraogn could ask 'Huh?' Orik joined their canoe while Arya and Lifaen boarded the second craft.

"Guard this was so that none may follow us, and tell no one of our presence" Arya told Edurna and Celdin, who stood on the bank "The Queen must be the first to know. I will send reinforcements as soon as we reach Silthrim."

"Arya Drottningu."

"May the stars watch over you!" she answered.

Nari and Lifaen drew spiked poles, ten feet long, and pushed the vessels upstream.

Saphira slid into the water besides them and clawed her way along the riverbed until they were level.

When Eragon glanced to her she winked lazily, then submerged, forcing the river to swell into a mound over her jagged back.

The elves laughed as she did so and made many compliments about her size and strength.

An hour took them to the Eldor Lake, a rough inlet with many small, jagged waves. On the western shore, was it the western shore, Eragon wondered, he thought it was but couldn't be sure, was a wall of trees swarmed with birds and flies, while the east, or at least based on the idea that the west he thought was west was west than the east he thought was east was certainly east, led to the plains, where hundreds of deer meandered feasting on the grass.

Escaping the rivers current Nari and Lifaen stowed away the spiked poles and handed leaf bladed paddles to the occupant of their respective canoe. He quickly mastered the concept of steering a canoe, after a brief explanation by Narik and the motions soon became habitual.

He thought then of flying with Saphira, dreaming, with her mind connected to his, of the open sky, of stalking prey in dark forests, and of killing their ways through armies proving their dominance above all.

When he stopped to rest his arms, or rather trying to stop the pain of his scar which flared with pain the constant pulling of his skin doing it no favours, he slipped the ring off his left ring fingers and shook it out, returning it to its puzzle state, then manipulated the bands back into a ring, and again, the motion proving oddly calming.

"May I see that ring?" asked Nari, noticing what he was doing the fourth time he did it.

Eragon tossed it upwards, in the general direction of the elf. Nari snatched it out of the air beside his face and turned back forwards. Eragon and Orik manoeuvred the canoe on their own as Nari filled with the entwined bands.

Then, with a pleased exclamation, Nari raise dhis hand, the completed ring flashing on his middle finger "A delightful riddle" Nari returned it to Eragon.

"Hmm" Eragon glanced briefly at Brom's ring on his right ring finger, before flicking the puzzle ring out and reforming it. Eragon returned to fiddling with is every once in a while as they rowed, using the motion to stave off the boredom that was fast becoming normality.

Every day since leaving the outpost of Ceris was utter torment. It was all a hazy, boring, dull dream full of warm afternoons spent paddling up Eldor Lake and later the Gaena River. And the constant gurgling of water through the verdant pines made him need a piss far more often than usual.

Eragon found travelling the elves… agonising. Nari and Lifaen seemed to be perpetually smiling, laughing and singing songs, especially when Saphira was around. In fact in her presence they rarely looked elsewhere or spoke of another subject.

And if the roundabout expression and aphorisms, he didn't he know what aphorisms were until he started talking to elves, weren't bad enough in between bursts of merriment the elves would suddenly remain silent, sometimes for hours at a times, simply observing the world around the peace and contentment on their faces.

If either he or Orik tried to talk to them during this, they would receive only a few words in response.

This, in turn, caused Eragon to grow annoyed and threaten to push him out of the boat to which the elf, Nari at the time, responded with an almost dismissive 'Hmm'. Arya scolded him for that, once Nari managed to clamber back into the boat.

It made Eragon appreciate Arya for a whole new reason. Compared to the other elves she was direct and forthright. In fact she seemed almost uneasy amongst the other elves, as if unsure of how to act around her own kind.

Not that he was watching her particularly or anything, it was just something he noted in the perpetual boredom of this place, plus there were few things as pleasant to look at. Birds and trees and flowers and nature, it was all devastatingly beautiful… when consumed in a raging inferno, as It was, peaceful and pleasant, it was so dull.

'I miss the Varden' Eragon told Saphira 'At least there I got to kill things.'

Saphira rolled her eyes at him, Eragon didn't see her do so but instead felt it, which was strange as it felt like he was rolling his own eyes and his own comment when in fact it was Saphira, but Eragon had long since gotten used to the strangeness of their mental conversations, even it was more a metal/physical conversation.

"Tell me, Eragon-finiarel" said Lifaen from the prow of the canoe, using the honorific for a young man of great promise 'Great promise? Bah, I'm already great' Saphira rolled her eyes again "What do your people sing about in these dark days? I remember the epics and lays I heard in Illirea, sagas of your proud kings and earls, but it was long, long ago, and the memories are like withered flowers in my mind. What new works have your people created?"

Eragon sighed, he knew next to nothing about poetry "I'm not the best person to ask, only Brom, and the trades that came to Carvahall every years, sung or recited tales" and he told the elf as much, but still tried to recall as many as he could.

When Lifaen heard them he shook his head in sorrow and said "So much has been lost. No court ballads survive, and, if you speak truly, nor does most of your history or art, except for fanciful tales Galbatorix has allowed to thrive."

"As I said I'm not the best person to ask. Consider kidnapping a noble from Galbatorix's court if you want a good proper list, or a bard, they'll know a few."

Lifaen nodded solemnly.

'Oh gods, not this again' Eragon held back a curse. These elves took the strangest things like knives to their hearts, yet the harshest insults like pleasant remarks "Brom once told us about the fall of the Riders."

"Ah, a brave man" for a whole minute Lifaen paddled in silence "We too sing about the Fall… but rarely. Most of us were alive when Vrael entered the void, and we still grieve for our burned cities, the red lilies of Ewayena, the crystals of Luthivira, and for our burned families."

Eragon made no comment, thought a comment about roast chicken passed through his head but Saphira dissuaded him.

"Time cannot dull the pain of those wounds, not if a thousand, thousand years pass and the sun itself dies, leaving the world to float in eternal night."

Orik grunted "As it was with the dwarve. Remember elf we lost an entire clan to Galbatorix."

"And we lost our king, Evandar."

Eragon sighed 'Everyone fights for their own justice.'

'Hmm? And what does that mean, my love?'

'Whatever I want it too' he smiled, before scowling bitterly 'Everyone fights for their own ideal of justice, the elves, the dwarves, and the Varden. Glabatorix too, fights for his own justice.'

'Galbatorix, the mad king, a champion of justice?' she said mockingly.

'Perhaps it had been affected by madness… but there are always reasons. Ends that justify the means, in that persons mind. Everyone believes their actions are necessary, few believe that they are evil, therefore most if not all must believe themselves to be good and therefore their evils must have reasons.'

'That is… strangely eloquent. But the if he fights for justice then why do you fight against him?'

'His actions are justified in his mind, not mine. And besides… I'm not good… I'm evil. I will kill and burn and destroy anything to attain my vengeance, there are things I'd rather not destroy true, but I would if I had to.'

'Anything?'

'Besides killing you, I'd do anything, anything at all.'

Saphira stewed in her thoughts.

'See the things is' Eragon continued before she stopped 'I want to kill him. More than anything else I want him dead. I want his empire crushed and burnt beneath my feet, I want to defile his corpse and piss on his grave, then dig him up and let wolves feast on his rotting carcass, then cut his bones into my knives and forks as a constant reminder of my victory, of my vengeance!' his voice was so impassioned just then, impassioned by madness, Saphira felt herself shiver.

"Something on your mind, Eragon-finiarel?" Lifaen asked glancing back at the strangely silent rider.

Eragon was shaken out of his thoughts by the elf's question "Huh? Oh, stuff" he sighed and gazed into the water "I've never heard about the elves losing a king" he commented his gaze lost in his own reflection, in his own horrifying crimson gaze.

"Few have" Lifaen said "Brom could have told you about it. He was there when the fatal blow was struck. Before Vrael's death the elves faced Galbaotrix on the plains of Illirea in our final attempt to defeat him. There Evandar…."

"What's Illirea?"

"Uru'baen" Orik said gruffly from behind him "Used to be an elf city."

Not at all bothered by the interruptions Lifaen continued "As you say, Illirea was once one of our cities. We abandoned it during our war with the dragons and then, centuries later, humans adopted it as their capital after King Palancar was exiled."

"Palancar?" Eragon said questionably "After Palancar Valley, or Palancar Valley after him?" he spoke in bored drawling tones, but was in reality rather interested, a new topic was better than nothing after all.

Lifaen turned his head and said, with no small amusement "You have as many questions as leaves on a tree, Argetlam."

Eragon gave him a smirk "And once you've carefully plucked them all of, most have re-grown."

Lifaen smiled and paused to gather his thoughts "When your ancestors arrived eight hundred years ago…"

He listened patiently to the explanation, slipping in questions and even having a small discussion over it with Saphira, but in truth he didn't really care, it simply did not matter, except for the fact that he may have descended from mad king Palancar. The past was past, and dead men had no right to dictate the future, or at least that was the way Eragon saw it.

"I see" Eragon said as the explanation ended with the end of the Palancar as a monarchy.

"Do you? Lifaen asked raiing a slanted eyebrow "It had more significance than you may think. It was these events that convinced Anurin, Vrael's predecesoor as Head Rider, to allow humans to become Riders in order to prevent similar disputes."

"That must have caused some argument" Orik chuckled.

"It was an unpopular decision" Lifaen confessed "Even now, some question the wisdom of it…"

"Or rather, more so now."

A slight spasm in his facial muscles was the only indication of his unease. He had flinched not that a human or dwarf would notice, and Lifaen nodded sadly "Yes, more so now. It caused such a disagreement between Anurin and Queen Dellanir" he continued "that Anruin seceded from our government and established the Rider on Vroengard as an independent entity."

"That sounds like it didn't go well, independent, secede, government" he shook his head, he could tell how that went.

"Indeed, it was not until Dellanir saw the wisdom of having Riders free of any Lord or King that their access to Du Weldenvarden was restored. It never pleased her that any authority could supersede her own."

"Wasn't that the point?"

"Yes... and no. The Riders were supposed to guard against the failing of the different governments and races, yet who watched the watchers? It was that very problem that caused the Fall. No one existed that could descry the flaws within the Rider's own system, for they were above scrutiny, and thus, they perished."

"And if they had watcher, who would watch them for corruption, and who them, and on and on and on, a continual loop with no solution."

"Perhaps not."

"Who succeeded Dellanir as king or queen?" he finally settled on a new topic.

"Evandar did. He took the knotted throne five hundred years ago, when Dellanir abdicated in order to study the mysteries of magic, and held it until his death. Now his mate, Islanzadi rules us."

"That..." Eragon silenced for a few moments "Are elves immortal?" he finally asked, keeping his eyes on Lifaen.

"Once we were like you" said Lifaen in a soft voice "Bright, fleeting and as ephemeral as the morning dew. Now our lives stretch endlessly through the dusty years. Yes, we are immortal, although we are still vulnerable to injuries of the flesh."

"How?" Lifaen remained silent at this question, and Eragon decided not to pry.

"How old is Arya?"

Lifaen turned, his eye glittering and probing Eragon with disconcerting acuteness "Arya? What is your interest in her?"

"Good question, minute I know the answer I'll tell you."

"I feel ashamed" Lifaen was very cautious with his words "for asking such a question. Among our kind, it is rude to pry into one's affairs... Only, I must say, and I believe that Orik agrees with me, that you would do well to guard your heart Argetlam. Now is not the time to lose it, nor would it be well placed in this instance."

"Aye" Orik grunted.

Eragon smiled, concealing his own annoyance "Why would it be?"

"Hmm?"

"Why would my heart not be well placed in this instance?"

Lifaen looked even more nervous "There is a large age gap..."

"I'm a rider remember, what's a century or two between immortals" said Eragon with a shrug.

"You can't have spent more than a few months with her..."

"That can change."

If anything the elf got even more nervous and glanced over to Arya in her boat, then back to this one, facing forwards.

Eragon smirked satisfied, they were hiding something "In any case, my heart is not placed anywhere, and the only chance of it being moved is if someone tears it out with a hair pin, mentioning no herbalists... sorry names. I always got those two mixed up."

Lifaen looked back at him half amused.

"And I'd still like my question answered."

"Arya is quite young" he said after a seconds hesitation "She was born a year before the destruction of the Riders."

'A century, huh?' Eragon barely cared, but thought on it a few moments. Just as he was about to ask another question Saphira soared over the river.

Lifaen beamed and cried "Isn't she glorious? See how her scales catch the light! No treasure in the world can match this sight" similar exclamations floated across the river from Nari.

"Bloody unbearable, that's what it is" Orik muttered into his beard.

Eragon shrugged, he would be the first to appreciate Saphira's beauty, but personally thought her scales were most beautiful when contrasted with crimson blood, that she was truly glorious when her ivory teeth dripped with gore, that only when surrounded by roasted flesh and charred body could Saphira's true beauty be properly admired. And despite that he found the elves continual compliments to be tedious much like the elves themselves.

'Nothing's wrong with a few compliments' she landed with a gigantic splash, and submerged her head.

'No, but eternal praise does get boring, particularly for those watching it.'

He glanced over at Arya in the other canoe, her back perfectly straight, her face inscrutable. She looked so dark and so sombre, yet all of his focus was on her, the rest of the world was dulled and dimmed and ignored with her beautiful figure the only object in a world that was in crystal clarity.

When he finally looked away the world seemed somehow darker.

Eragon sighed and let his mind slowly drift away, thinking on other things and 'till they settled down that night he said not a single word more.

He stood with Saphira at the lip of a ravine, staring down a t commotion he had heard. A gyrfalcon with a broken wing struggled in a bed of snowberries. It let out an ear piercing screech when it saw him but Eragon ignored its screams and walked towards it, bending down to watch it struggle.

'What a terrible fate' said Saphira staring partly through his eyes to gain a closer look 'to be unable to fly.'

Eragon stood up straight 'I'm going to find the stars' Eragon told her before stomping forwards and breaking the birds head beneath his boot.

'Be safe little one' she said watching him leave.

Emerald eyes followed him until he vanished amongst the trees.

Crimson eyes taunted him in the darkness "I can see you" they teased, flashing darkly, mad with murder.

For some reason he reached up, and he felt it there, skin, soft skin wet with cold sweat, the eyes widened, and Eragon caught the flash of sharp white teeth as it grinned.

"My name is Legion."

Eragon blinked slowly "My name is… Legion."


Okay I haven't proofread, rewritten or even reread this chapter as much as some of the other so if its shit then... sorry about that.

I'm still bored with Shade by the way, I love it, of course I do, but I just can't find my writing flow with it, I've got another chapter of it written down, stills needs proofreading and possibly major rewriting, as in from scratch, but its there at least.

Once again don't expect another chapter anytime soon. Please review (you know if you feel like it, if you don't then don't) and thanks for reading.

Toodles.